Hatsu zekku

May the 5th is a public holiday in Japan. It is called Tango no Sekku / Child day and is a day set aside to respect children's personalities and to celebrate their happiness (especially boys as we have a separate celebration day for girls on March the third).

Sekku means a season's festival (there are five sekku per year) and when your child experiences the first sekku it is called Hatsu zekku. I couldn't prepare any special food such as Kashiwa mochi (just like regular mochi, but is also filled with red bean jam) and Chimaki (a kind of "sweet rice paste," wrapped in an iris or bamboo leaf) for Oliver.

But I managed to put up Koinobori (carp streamer) for him and dressed him in Japanese Jinbei.